


One Last Time

by allmylovesatonce



Series: The Better 2021 [1]
Category: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-12 00:28:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28876473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allmylovesatonce/pseuds/allmylovesatonce
Summary: The Inauguration approaches and everyone in the First Family can't help but compare the last time to this time. When Alex and his mother start to clash on who should be invited, it only makes the comparisons grow. But when the day finally arrives, everything feels as it should be --for everyone.Inauguration fic for Inauguration day!
Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor
Series: The Better 2021 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2117709
Comments: 15
Kudos: 151





	One Last Time

**Author's Note:**

> Big shoutout to Elaine (featheredfurther) for looking up the proceedings of an Inauguration for me! I was legit worried I'd get flagged, given, you know, everything. But it was a huge help and she's wonderful!

Alex sits through another meeting about the inauguration and actively bites his tongue so as to not yell out, “We’ve done this before!” Zahra would probably murder him in cold blood if he did that. She’d probably be within her rights to, honestly. So instead of causing a scene, Alex sits next to June and refrains from saying anything. 

He’s not above secretly pulling out his phone and texting Henry though. 

**oh my god this meeting is so boring**

**stage something dramatic across the ocean so i can get out of here**

**maybe you could pretend to murder your brother**

**i’m just spitballing here**

Thankfully, Henry’s reply comes swiftly. 

**How would me murdering my brother get you out of a boring meeting?**

**Also, what is this meeting?**

Alex sits and texts Henry, telling him all about the torture he’s being forced to endure. He stops mid-sentence when he feels an elbow to his ribs and looks at June. Her expression has him immediately dropping his phone, looking over at Zahra who had definitely caught him. He makes a show of sliding it back in his pocket and focusing back on the presentation. Yet again, he wants to remind them all that this is their  _ second  _ inauguration, but yet again, he bites his tongue. 

June and Alex eat with Ellen and Leo and it’s not their usual “we’re not acknowledging politics right now” dinner. Instead, it’s more of the same shit from the meeting, with Ellen going on and on about things they need to remember about the inauguration. Alex and June keep nodding their heads, eating their pizzas, and trying to get through it. 

“When does Henry get in?” June asks. 

“I think he’s aiming for Tuesday night.”

“I’m sorry, what? When is Henry coming?” his mother asks. 

“I invited him to the inauguration.” 

A strange look crosses his mother’s face. “When did you do that?” 

Alex looks at June, his brow furrowing, before looking back at his mother. “Weeks ago. Maybe New Year’s Eve. Hell, maybe even Election Night.” 

“And you didn’t think to discuss this with me first?” 

He drops his slice back into the box and stares at his mother. “Should I have? I figured it was fine. I mean, he was there the night you got elected. I figured it would be no big deal for him to be there when you get inaugurated.” 

“Yes, well, perhaps you shouldn’t have figured that was the case and you should have talked to me first,” Ellen replies. 

June looks at Alex, seemingly just as thrown off by this as he is. She delicately closes the box of her pizza and stands up from the couch. “I just remembered that I have some writing to do. I’m gonna go...do that.” She shoots Alex a look and mouths  _ Good luck  _ before bolting from the room. 

His mother’s eyes are focused on him and Alex can’t understand why he’s getting in trouble for inviting his boyfriend to a big event. Leo quickly follows June’s lead and makes up some fake excuse to leave the room. Now, it’s just Alex and Ellen, nearly facing off. 

“Mom, why is it such a big deal that I invited my boyfriend?” 

“Because you didn’t just invite  _ your boyfriend,  _ you invited the prince of another country — notably, the country that 245 years ago, we  _ left.  _ But there are never any foreign dignitaries at presidential inaugurations, Alex. And to start now would open up questions from other countries around the world, asking why  _ they  _ weren’t invited. This is why you need to run things past me, sugar.” 

“Okay, but I think most of the world knows that Henry and I are dating. I’m sure people would just automatically assume he’s there because of that and not because we’re trying to form some super alliance with England. He would be there as my boyfriend.” 

“He can’t be there as just your boyfriend when he’s also the prince of another country,” Ellen insists. 

Alex huffs out an agitated breath. “So, you’re telling me that I have to call my boyfriend and uninvite him from this?” 

“Yes, I’m afraid so. You should have checked with me earlier and then you wouldn’t have to do this.” 

Alex stands up from the couch and stalks out of the room, beyond irritated. He stops off in June’s room before making the call to Henry. Logically, he doesn’t think Henry will be all that upset about not being able to go to the inauguration. He’ll probably just be disappointed that they won’t get to see each other. But Alex is mad. He doesn’t really believe his mother’s logic. 

When he tells June this, she says, “Well, maybe she doesn’t want the focus to be on you and Henry. You do draw attention a lot of places you go.” 

Alex looks over at her, his brow furrowing. “So you agree with her?” 

June shakes her head. “Not at all. I think it’s stupid. I think you’re right that everyone would know why he’s there. I just think there’s something deeper than just that excuse that mom gave.” 

“You think she doesn’t like Henry?” Alex asks in a panic. 

She laughs. “Of course not. How could she not like Henry? No, I really think it’s because she wants to be in the spotlight and not the two of you.” 

“You really think that would be an issue?” 

“Do you remember election night when you pulled Henry out on stage? Objectively, a fine moment. It was fine. But there were so many articles and tweets about the two of you and Henry being there. Maybe that bugged Mom because she thought they should all be about her re-election.” June shrugs. “You guys are a hot commodity right now. Maybe that has something to do with it.” 

“I’m still annoyed.” 

“I don’t blame you.” She shoos Alex off her bed. “Now, go call your boyfriend before he does something silly like plan out a full trip.” 

Alex groans. “I hate this.” 

“Just go. He’s not going to break up with you because you have to uninvite him from an event centered around your mom. He’s going to understand it. I’m not Nora, but the odds of this happening in the reverse sometime in the future are quite high, I would say.” 

He stands up off her bed. “You may be right. But I reserve the right to whine about this for the coming days.” 

June rolls her eyes. “Fine.” 

Alex walks across the hall to his own room and sighs as he sits down on his couch. He stares at Henry’s contact for a long moment before he finally calls him. 

“Alex, hi!” Henry says in such a cheery voice that it makes Alex curl in on himself a bit. 

“Hello.” 

“Whoa. An actual greeting? What’s wrong?” 

Alex can’t help but laugh. Henry really does know him so well. “I’ve got some bad news.” 

Henry’s voice sobers significantly. “What’s wrong? Is everything okay?” 

“Yeah, everything’s fine. But…” he heaves out a sigh. “You can’t come to the inauguration. I’m sorry.” 

“Oh,” Henry says. “Well, that’s all right. I mean, I was rather looking forward to seeing you, but I understand.” 

“You don’t have to understand. It’s stupid,” Alex insists. 

“Can I ask why it’s changing all of the sudden?” 

“My mom is being stupid. She thinks it’s going to set a bad precedent or something if the prince of another country is at the inauguration. Like anyone is really going to care.” 

There’s a long beat of silence before Henry says, “I suppose I could see her point.” 

“Henry, you’re not supposed to see her point! You’re supposed to see my point in that it’s stupid and I should be allowed to bring my boyfriend to this event no matter what his standing is in another country.” 

“I know. But I promise you I’m not offended. If that helps.”

Alex rolls his eyes. “Well, I’m glad, but I’m still mad.” He sighs. “I was looking forward to seeing you.” 

“I was too.” Henry makes some humming sound and Alex can hear pages being flipped in the background. “I’m looking at the schedule for the month. What if I just came that weekend instead?” 

“I mean, it’s not as momentous, but yeah, that sounds like a good plan.” 

“I’m sorry that you’re upset,” Henry says. 

Alex lays out on the couch, huffing out a breath. “It just mattered to me that you were there. But...I guess I’ll get over it.” 

It’s three days before the inauguration when Alex is sitting in yet another boring meeting and it hits him. Suddenly, he can articulate why he’s so aggravated by not being able to have Henry with him at the inauguration. 

That night, he throws himself down on June’s bed again, much to her annoyance. He glances to the door he only barely closed and ignores the way it stands ajar as he shares his new realization. 

“It’s because of Richards,” Alex says. 

“What is?” 

“Why I wanted Henry there. Mom getting re-elected isn’t just about her. It’s about the fact that her child that got dragged through the mud of her election — more than usual — won too! Mom’s inauguration, the sign that she won the election, that means something to me and Henry too. It means that the person who decided to hack our private emails and broadcast them to the world, who decided it was okay to take an important choice away from us and use it for his own political gain  _ didn’t  _ win. And that was the deep seeded reason why I wanted him there. To celebrate our victory as well — because it  _ was  _ kind of our victory.” 

“If that was why you wanted him there, why didn’t you tell Mom that?” 

Alex shrugs. “I push a lot of that stuff aside. Or I try to. I mean, we’re happy, and it’s easier to focus on that than the small shot of panic I get every time I start composing an email.” June reaches out and grabs his hand, flashing him a sympathetic smile. “And really, I did want to see him. It seemed like a no-brainer for him to be there, even if I hadn’t dug into the why of it.” 

“It made sense to me even before you said this. Henry was there for a lot of it. It made sense to include him.” 

“Yeah,” Alex says with a sigh. “Oh well. I guess we’ll just have to celebrate our little victory over the weekend instead.” 

June laughs. “In a real way, I think you do each time you see each other. Each time you go out somewhere together and don’t have to hide your relationship. Each time you power through and actually send the email you’re meaning to send. You’ve been doing it all along.” 

Alex smiles at her. “That was beautiful, June. Thanks.” 

“Always here for the beauty and apparently the whining.” 

“You’re my older sister. You’re contractually obligated to listen to my whining.” 

June shakes her head. “I don’t remember signing a contract when Mom and Dad brought you home. It would have probably been in crayon and I don’t think that holds up in a court of law.” 

“In three years’ time, I’ll let you know about that,” Alex jokes. 

* * *

Monday evening, Henry is sitting in a rather dull meeting that is trying to be a dinner with his family. As expected, Philip has taken control and is boring them to death with whatever he deems important. Even his mother seems bored. 

His phone starts vibrating in his pocket and Henry has no hesitation pulling it out. It’s probably Alex. He stares down at his phone in confusion, seeing it read out “The White House” and beneath that, a US based number. It could still be Alex, but something tells Henry it’s not. 

He pushes back from his chair and holds a finger up to his family as he walks to a corner of the room. “Hello?” he answers. 

“Is this Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor?” a gruff voice asks. 

“Erm, yes…” 

“Please hold.” 

Henry sighs, wondering what the hell is going on. Bea is watching him from the table, one brow raised. He just shrugs in reply. 

After a few moments, another voice starts talking. “Henry, it’s Ellen Claremont. So sorry about all that! I’m sure you understand from your own end,” she says. Henry wonders if this is where Alex gets his lack of address when talking on the phone.

“Yes, it’s fine.” 

“I had something I wanted to talk to you about, Henry. Is this an okay time?” 

“Of course, Madam President.” 

She chuckles. “Please, Ellen is fine.” 

“Then now is a fine time, Ellen,” he adds pointedly. “What can I do for you?” 

“I wanted to talk with you about my inauguration.” 

Henry sighs a bit. He wonders if Alex has been pressing things on his end. “I spoke with Alex and he told me of your concerns. I more than understand. I promise I wasn’t planning to just show up in D.C. and surprise everyone where I wasn’t wanted.” 

Ellen laughs. “If a surprise visit were in the works, I would imagine it had my son behind it and not you. But actually, that wasn’t quite what I wanted to talk to you about.” 

“All right.” 

“I called to personally invite you to my inauguration.” 

“I’m sorry?” Henry asks. “Alex informed me that you weren’t keen on me being there.” 

“I wasn’t at first,” Ellen admits. “I was thinking of it politically, though. I wasn’t thinking of it as a mother. You and my son were the collateral damage of a nasty election cycle. And until I listened in on a conversation between my children that was certainly not meant for my ears, but I heard as I walked by, I hadn’t thought of it like that. Alex wanted you there because it meant a lot for the two of you that the man who outed the two of you didn’t win. You couldn’t vote in our election, but you were certainly affected by it.” 

“Yes, I do believe that’s true,” Henry agrees. 

“So, keeping that in mind, I wanted to extend a personal invitation to the inauguration. You should be there. You should be there with Alex.” 

“What about your concerns of how it would look to the rest of the world?” 

“Don’t ever tell him I said this, but Alex was right. People would know you were there as his boyfriend. I just was caught off guard. I would love it if you could be there,” Ellen says. 

Henry smiles to himself. “Well then I shall make sure I’m there. I appreciate the invitation, Ellen.” 

“I just have one request,” she adds. 

“Yes?” 

“Don’t tell Alex. I think it would be fun for it to be a surprise.” 

Henry laughs, imagining the inevitable freak out when Alex sees him. “Deal.” 

“Great! I’ll see you on Wednesday. Bye, Henry.” 

“Goodbye.” 

Henry hangs up his phone and stands there for a moment, trying to understand how the change happened so fast, but he’s not upset about it. Even if he was planning to see Alex this weekend, he’s thrilled to get to see him a few days earlier, especially for such an auspicious occasion. 

As he walks back over towards his family, they’re all watching him. “Henry, do you know how rude it is to take a phone call during a family meeting?” 

“I thought it was just dinner,” Henry says, putting his phone back in his pocket. “Besides, I got a call from the President of the United States. Was I supposed to ignore that?” 

Bea grins but Philip looks confused. “Why on earth would  _ you  _ get a call from the President of the United States?” 

“Gee, maybe because he’s dating her son?” Bea asks, pointing out the obvious. 

“It wasn’t really about Alex,” Henry tells them. “I got a personal invitation to the President’s Inauguration. So…” 

“Henry, that’s wonderful,” Catherine says. 

“When is that?” Bea asks. 

“Wednesday. I guess I need to text Shaan and let him know of the new plan. I’ll probably have to leave tomorrow.” Henry’s typing away on his phone, ignoring whatever Philip is saying. 

“Henry!” he calls. Henry finally looks up, annoyed. “You cannot go tomorrow. You have an engagement if you recall.” 

“That engagement is at 11:00. I wouldn’t need to leave until maybe the evening. And that’s just to ensure I get to D.C. in time the next morning. I’ll be fine to carry out my duties.” 

“How long will you be gone?” Catherine asks. “You were planning to be gone this weekend weren’t you?” Henry nods. “Well, then you should just take the rest of the week.” 

Henry stares at her, feeling like surely she’s going to take it back. He’s never allowed that much time away. Certainly not when he’s going to see Alex. “Are you sure?” 

“Of course.” 

“He can’t do that!” Philip says. Bea huffs out a sigh, glaring at him. Henry does the same. “We have that meeting on Friday.” 

“The royal finances meeting? I’m sure you can survive without me.” 

Philip starts to sputter out an argument, but Catherine steps in. “I’ll go in his place. I’m probably more of a needed attendee than Henry. Plus, with all the events that go on around an inauguration, Henry shouldn’t just bolt after one day. He should be part of it if he’s been invited.” 

Henry smiles at his mother, mouthing  _ Thank you  _ when Philip turns his back. They get back to eating, but all Bea and his mother want to talk about is his conversation with Ellen and what he’ll be up to in the US. Philip glowers through the rest of the meal and it makes Henry just a little bit happier. The hardest part for sure is going to be not telling Alex at any point in the next day and change until he gets to see him. 

* * *

Alex is dressing himself for his mother’s inauguration, watching in the mirror as he ties his tie. It’s hard picking out an outfit that is supposed to look good when it’ll really just be covered up by his coat for most of the outdoor — and therefore  _ public  _ — events of the day. He glances over at his phone sitting on his desk, but there are no messages. With a huff, he tightens his tie and stands back to look at himself. 

He’s trying to focus less on the fact that Henry isn’t there and more on the fact that this is a momentous day for his mother. After he had his realization about  _ why  _ he really wanted Henry there, though, it’s been hard to be fully focused on the occasion. 

Still, his mother was the first woman elected president and now, she’s the first woman to be re-elected as president. He keeps thinking back to all those articles that were posted saying that it had been a fluke to elect a woman and that she wouldn’t be re-elected. It had taken a lot of strength to not acknowledge those on Election Night when she’d won. It’s still hard now to not try and show those people how wrong they were. 

He is incredibly proud of his mother and is happy that she has another four years to govern this country. June’s words from the last year come to his mind.  _ The world is better with her where she is.  _ He smiles to himself, knowing that she’ll be in that place for four more years. And it really does feel right. 

Checking his phone again, he sighs. Why isn’t Henry replying to any of his texts? It never takes him this long. Alex gets a better idea, a grin forming on his face. He stands in front of the mirror and opens Snapchat, sending Henry a mirror shot of how good he looks. Surely this will get some response. 

He watches as it sends. He watches as it immediately gets opened. And then nothing. He frowns to himself, wondering what the hell Henry’s doing that he’s able to open Alex’s snaps or texts, but unable to reply. He’s a bit bothered by it. Before he can type out a text demanding to know what Henry’s doing, there’s a knock at the door. 

“Come in!” 

June walks in wearing a navy blue dress, a deep purple coat draped over her arm. She smiles as she sees him. “Looking good. Nice and appropriate.” 

Alex holds out his arms. “That’s what I aim for.” He nods to her. “You are looking quite good yourself.” 

She does a half twirl before planting herself on Alex’s couch. “It’s kinda crazy, isn’t it?” 

He sits down next to her. “That our mom is getting re-inaugurated?” 

“Yeah.” 

“It is a little crazy. But also awesome. And right.” 

“For sure. I just can’t believe four years have already passed and we’re doing this all again.” 

“ _ That  _ is crazy,” Alex agrees. “God, think of who we were four years ago.” 

“Wow, that’s a good point.” She pokes Alex’s cheek. “Four years ago you still thought you hated Henry.” Alex rolls his eyes at her. “And now you’re stupidly in love with him.” 

He pulls his phone out of his pocket and still sees nothing in reply. “Yep,” he says. 

“What?” 

“Oh, nothing. Henry isn’t answering anything. It’s just weird.” 

“Maybe he’s busy. Maybe he’s in a meeting.” 

“Our friendship was formed with Henry texting me from meetings.” 

“Maybe he’s so offended that you uninvited him from this that he’s ghosting you and is in the process of dumping you,” June suggests. Alex glares at her. “I’m just throwing out the most ridiculous thing I could think of.” 

“Gee, thanks.” 

There’s another knock at the door and Nora walks in. “The White House Trio ready for their  _ second  _ inauguration?” She asks with a broad grin. She’s wearing a bright red dress, bringing along a white coat. Looking over at June, she frowns. “I thought you were wearing that cream dress we found?” 

June rolls her eyes. “Turns out my mom is wearing white.” 

“With her complexion?” Alex asks. “You’d look better in it.” 

Both girls laugh. “I agree,” Nora says, wedging herself in between the two of them. 

“It’s fine. I like this dress too. And it’s Mom’s day.” 

“Don’t get me started on that,” Alex says, still a bit irritated. 

“Is he missing Henry?” Nora stage-whispers to June. 

“Shut up.” 

A third knock at the door has Zahra sticking her head in. “We ready to go?” All three of them nod and get up off the couch. “Your car is waiting at the front doors and once we collect the other person riding with you, we’ll be good to go.” 

“The other person?” June asks. “Who else is riding with us?” 

“You’ll see,” Zahra says. “Let’s go. We’re on a bit of a tight schedule. The First Children can’t be late to their mother’s inauguration.” 

Alex grabs his coat and they all walk out of the room. They all proceed down to the doors. Alex pulls his phone out of his pocket to check it one more time before they have to leave but there’s nothing from Henry. He sees Zahra stop ahead of them out of the corner of his eye and glances over before looking back at his phone. Doing an immediate double take, he can’t believe his eyes. Nora and June cheer, seemingly just as shocked as he is. 

“Henry?” Alex asks, shaking his head in awe before throwing himself into his boyfriend’s arms. “What the hell are you doing here?” 

“You can discuss this in the car,” Zahra shoots off before Henry can even reply. “As I said, we’re on a tight schedule.” 

Alex rolls his eyes, taking the time to kiss Henry hello before taking his hand and walking to the car. “Seriously, what are you doing here?” 

“Please tell me that you just decided to say “fuck it” and you came anyway. I’d love to see that rebellious side,” Nora says with a grin as she slides into the car. 

“I was invited,” Henry says. He sits next to Alex, squeezing his hand when Alex reclaims it. 

“If you mean by Alex, I thought he, um, uninvited you,” June says. 

“He did,” Henry confirms. “But your mother called me and invited me.” 

Alex’s eyes go wide as he stares at Henry. “What? She did?” Henry nods. “When? Why? I’m so confused. Not upset at all, just so confused.” 

Henry laughs. He laces his fingers through Alex’s and looks at their hands as he starts to speak. “Apparently she overheard some conversation between you and June and it made her reconsider her stance.” Looking over at June, Alex tries to remember what conversation it could have been. “She called me Monday evening and asked if I could be here.” 

“Well, okay then,” Alex says. He shakes his head, stunned. “This is awesome.” 

“It really is,” Nora agrees. “Now I’ll have someone to hang with when you two have First Children duties. Great!” 

“Ooh, lovely,” Henry says, smiling at Nora. 

The four of them arrive at the Capitol and Alex is flooded with memories. He’s been here too many times to count since the last inauguration, but he looks up and sees the flags waving, the West Front of the Capitol all decked out for the occasion, rows upon rows of seats for the people who will be sitting there. Glancing behind him, he sees the crowd that’s already forming — and probably has been all morning — all of them eager for the re-inauguration of his mother as president. 

Alex nudges Henry’s shoulder and shows him. There’s a small look of awe on Henry’s face before he turns back and smiles at Alex. “That’s quite the crowd.” 

“Bigger than the crowd outside Buckingham for Philip’s wedding?” Alex asks with a shit-eating grin. 

Henry laughs, his head tilting back. “Easily.” 

Alex and June insist on Nora and Henry sitting with them. Really, no one fights them on it, but it pushes the two of them far further up than they normally would be. Well, normally, Henry wouldn’t even  _ be  _ here, but Alex won’t let him sit anywhere but next to him. He has an argument prepared if anyone tries to tell either of them to move. Smartly, no one does. 

His dad stops by before finding his seat among other senators. He raises one eyebrow at Alex, clearly at Henry’s presence. Alex just shakes his head and Oscar grins. They’ll see more of him later, surely. 

June sits on the aisle, saving a seat for Leo who will join them. Alex is next to her, with Henry beside him, and Nora on Henry’s other side. Looking around surreptitiously, June pulls out her phone and holds it up, taking a picture of all four of them. Nora leans out the furthest, flashing a goofy smile. June grins down at her phone and Alex peeks over her shoulder. 

“That’s a good one,” he says. June hums in agreement. She leans in and takes a picture of just the two of them and then a shot of the crowd forming below. 

Finally, the ceremony begins. It all feels familiar. Alex has watched countless inaugurations on tv and then attended his mother’s four years ago. He knows pretty much how it’s all going to go. But as his mother is announced and steps up to the podium, he still gets chills. Pride runs through him as he watches it unfold before him. June and Alex jump up to go stand with her as she’s sworn in. They hold the Bible together, Leo standing next to them, beaming with pride. 

Ellen lays her hand gently on the Bible, glancing at each of them before she takes her oath of office. She easily repeats the words the Chief Justice asks of her and Alex listens carefully, processing the words with a new mindset. He watches the sincerity and earnestness on his mother’s face. She means every word she’s saying. It’s incredible. 

When her oath is completed and she’s sworn back into office, she smiles once more at June and Alex and they return to their seats. Henry’s watching him as he takes his place next to him again. Using the same hand he’d held the Bible with, Alex reaches out and cups Henry’s cheek. It’s a small gesture, over quickly, but he doesn’t miss Henry’s touched smile. 

He takes Henry’s hand and listens as his mother begins her Inaugural Address. She speaks of her plans for the next for years, the initiatives she’d like to continue, the pride she has in where they are as a country, the ways she thinks they can still improve. Alex listens, and he imagines it. He starts to picture a world where things are better. But as he tries to imagine the big picture items that would make the world a better place, he also starts to picture smaller things that would make  _ his  _ world a better place — living with Henry, waking up next to him, watching him at dinners with his family. With a glance to his left, Alex squeezes Henry’s hand. 

There are performances, poems, and it’s eventually wrapped up with the Star Spangled Banner. The First Family, Second Family, and Henry are transferred to Statuary Hall for a luncheon with members of Congress that his mother selected. Raf walks over and claps Alex on the shoulder. “It’s a good day,” he says. 

Alex shares a knowing look with him. For a similar reason to Alex and Henry, Raf is happy to see his mother re-inaugurated. “It really is.” 

Rafael looks over at Henry talking to Nora and some senator. “Don’t know why, but I’m almost surprised to see him here.” 

Grinning, Alex follows his gaze. “Yeah, you and me both. I was told he couldn’t come and then boom, he was here, personal invitation from the president.” 

Shaking his head with a laugh, Raf says, “Your mother is one for surprises isn’t she?” 

“Apparently.” 

While they sit and eat a far fancier meal than Alex gets on normal days within the White House, he poses a question to Henry that pops right into his mind. “Do you think I’ll be invited to your mom’s coronation?” Henry looks at him, a mixture of amused and surprised. “I’m just thinking that you’re here — at the closest thing we Americans have to a coronation.” 

“Right,” Henry says. He glances down at his plate. “I mean by then, we’ll likely be…” 

He cuts off, not even attempting to finish his sentence. Alex watches him, a reluctant grin spreading across his cheeks. “What were you going to say?” 

“Hmm? Nothing.” 

“No, that sentence clearly wasn’t finished,” Alex presses. “So, how was it going to end?” At Henry’s silence, he continues. “There are logically, only two ways you could have finished the sentence that starts with “We’ll likely be…” and the first one is broken up. And if that’s what you were going to say, we’re going to have to have a serious conversation. The second — and really only viable option — is we’ll likely be married by then. And I don’t know why that would make you freeze up like that.” 

Henry shakes his head at Alex. “It’s not like we’ve ever really talked about it.” 

“Maybe not that explicitly, but we’ve talked about forever.” Alex raises a brow at him. 

“True.” 

Alex leans over and drops his voice a bit. “You’re overthinking things.” 

“That’s hardly surprising.” 

Laughing, he asks his question again. “Do you think I’ll be invited to your mother’s coronation?” 

Henry grins at him, accepting his do-over. “Yes, I’d imagine you’d be there with me.” 

“Great!” Alex says, smiling around a bite of lobster. “Then you and I can be among a small population of people who have been to both a Presidential Inauguration in the United States and a Royal Coronation in England. Cool.”

Following the luncheon is a parade that leads to the White House. Ellen and Leo are at the front once they step out of their limo and walk down Pennsylvania Avenue. The Hollerans follow right behind them. And just behind them are Alex, June, Nora, and a very hesitant Henry. 

“I just don’t feel I should be there. This is a you all thing, not a me thing.” 

Alex basically has to force him out of the limo, aided by June and Nora’s coaxings. “Look, my mom freaking invited you. Just come on. You’re a part of this group now.” 

With a huff and a shrug, Henry follows them out, looking a bit nervous. Alex takes his hand and waves to the crowds on either side of the street. “See? No one cares that you’re here. They all look so happy.” 

Henry closes his eyes, clearly rolling them behind the lids. “I can guarantee at least one person will object to British royalty being part of this parade.” 

“Oh screw em,” Nora calls to him. “Just listen to the people who are thrilled to see their bisexual FSOTUS with his hunky boyfriend at the Inauguration.” 

Alex laughs and June agrees. Slowly but surely as they keep walking, Henry seems to relax. Alex keeps glancing over, checking on him. As he smiles and waves, same as the rest of them, it’s not even his press smile he’s wearing. It’s something else, something new. A smile that’s slightly unsure, but also proud of where he is. When he looks over at Alex and catches him staring, he turns his most genuine smile back on Alex, beaming at him. Knowing that he has the eyes of hundreds of people — or more — on him, Alex kisses Henry quickly on the cheek. Henry watches him for a moment and they both know that Alex would have preferred to do more. 

Once they’re back at the White House, Alex and June get separated from Henry and Nora to take some official First Family portraits. After portraits are done, they’re shuffled off to get ready for the ball and it looks like he won’t see them again until they’re all there. June’s under the careful attention of a few stylists and Alex is trapped in the same room, some woman with him talking about his tux like it hasn’t been picked out for weeks. 

On their way to the ball, June bursts out laughing and holds her phone out to Alex. He reacts the same way to the pictures Nora posted on Instagram. One is a dramatic shot of her and Henry posed in their attire for the ball. Henry’s sitting in a chair, his chin resting on his hand, his long legs stretched out in front of him, crossed at the ankle. Nora sits on the arm of his chair, her legs crossed. They look like a poster for some spy movie and it has Alex in stitches. He tries to imagine 1) how Nora roped Henry into taking such a picture and 2) who she found to take the actual picture. 

“I don’t know that I’d ever say this to his face,” June says, looking at the picture, “but damn he looks like James Bond.” 

Alex laughs. “Well, it is in his genes.” He stares at the picture, mainly at his boyfriend, and he finds himself smiling like a fool. Finally, he swipes to the next picture and sees a shot of the two of them bent over laughing. Clearly, they had plenty of fun taking such a picture. 

“What do you want to bet that by the end of the night Henry and Nora will be featured in some article with the phrase “Friendship goals” mentioned at least once?” June asks with a laugh. 

“That’s not even a hard bet to make. It’ll absolutely happen,” Alex agrees. 

Alex and June enter the ballroom behind Ellen and Leo and the Hollerans. He spots Henry off to the side, looking dashing as hell in his crisp tux. It’s giving Alex impure thoughts and also reminding him of the last time he saw Henry in a tux. He glances around the room to see if there’s a cake present. Thankfully, that doesn’t seem to be the case. 

June walks out onto the dance floor and Alex follows her. It was what they did last time, the two of them sharing a ceremonial dance. Four years ago, neither of them had a significant other to open the dance with, and though it’s maybe a bit weird to be dancing with his sister, Alex doesn’t mind it. 

After their first dance, there’s a tap at his shoulder. Alex turns around to see Henry standing there, looking like some incredible mix of James Bond and Prince Charming. “Mind if I cut in?” he asks, a sheepish smile on his face. 

“Not at all,” Alex says. 

Henry nods, turning to June, taking her hand in his. Alex stands there with his mouth hanging open, a dumbfounded expression on his face. Turning back toward him, caught up in a laugh, Henry says, “Just kidding.” June laughs with him, but Alex glares. He narrows his eyes at him as he takes Henry’s proffered hand and pulls him in close. 

“Asshole,” he mutters.

“You love me,” Henry whispers in his ear. 

Alex doesn’t reply, but he holds Henry close, one hand at his back, the other in Henry’s hand. They sway to the music, no real steps needed. He glances over and sees his mother dancing with Leo. Mike dances with his wife as well. And Alex glances back at Henry, feeling like another form of history is being made right in that moment. 

“I’m so glad you’re here,” he whispers. 

Henry squeezes his hand. “Me too.” 

“I kind of feel like Cinderella,” he teases. Henry raises a brow in response. “I got to the ball and my handsome prince was here waiting for me.” 

With a laugh, Henry shakes his head. “Wow. That’s quite the comparison.”

Alex can nearly feel the cameras turned on him, knowing they’re capturing the dopey smile on his face as he looks at his boyfriend, dancing slowly with him. “When do you have to go back?” 

Tucking a curl behind Alex’s ear, Henry says, “Not til Sunday.” 

“Are you serious?” Henry nods. Alex’s grin only grows. “Well, that almost sounds too good to be true.” 

“How did this go four years ago?” Henry asks after they dance in silence for a bit longer. 

Alex shrugs. “I mainly just spent time with June and Nora. Nothing special. I wasn’t 21 yet so I couldn’t even drink. And I certainly didn’t have anything like this,” he says, squeezing Henry’s hand in emphasis. “It’s funny how things change,” Alex continues. “June was talking all about us four years ago and it made me laugh. Thinking about what four years ago Alex would think about today.” 

Henry laughs. “He’d probably be very confused that you were dating the man you claimed to hate.” 

“Probably. He’d be like, ‘ _ That  _ asshole?’ It would be very confusing for him. Poor thing.” 

“He’d probably be even more confused by your plans to go to law school.” 

“Oh yeah, that too,” Alex agrees. He glances up at Henry, a sparkle in his eye. “I bet he’d be pleased with making history though.” Henry chuckles, leaning his head against Alex’s. The two of them keep dancing, swaying easily, happy to be together. 

They’re only interrupted by June, a hysterical Nora behind her. Alex looks at whatever June is showing him on her phone. “The bet is already over. It’s been like an hour.” He glances at the pictures, up at Nora laughing, back down at the phone, and there he sees it — the words June had promised would be used.  _ Friendship goals.  _

Alex rolls his eyes. He gathers the four of them for a picture, all of them looking sharp. “I’ll show them friendship goals,” he says under his breath as he smiles broadly for the camera. The four of them squawk over what to post and how to do it and Alex looks at the group of them — the three people he loves the most — and realizes that this inauguration tops the last one in every way imaginable. 

He can’t help but wonder where they’ll all be in four years. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! As always, I'm three-drink-amy on tumblr if you want to chat!


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